Case Studies, Din-Rail, Business

Grässlin talento smart™ Pays Off for Thailand Banks

Financial institutions across Asia can optimize daily operations by installing new digital controls

In the bustling metro area of Bangkok, Thailand, unpredictability is the norm for more than eight million residents. Sweeping power outages, severe flooding and other natural disasters have the potential to slow the city to a halt at any moment. However, there’s one aspect of daily life that residents simply can’t afford to lose control of: access to money.

Leading financial institutions have turned to Grässlin Timers to provide an added layer of stability at bank branches and ATMs throughout the Bangkok area. The versatile controls are a simple and dependable solution that ensures bank lighting and HVAC systems are always operating when customers need them the most.

Laying a Strong Foundation

Established by Royal Charter in 1907, Siam Commercial Bank PCL (SCB) is one of Thailand's oldest financial institutions. The company operates a vast network of bank branches, currency exchange booths and ATMs throughout the region.

In 2014, Siam Commercial Bank called on Grässlin to outfit hundreds of its kiosks and standalone ATMs with a solution that would provide essential lighting support and reliable scheduling, even after unexpected calamities. The talento 371 easy plus by Grässlin supplied the perfect answer.

A basic 7-day programmable timer, the talento 371 easy plus allowed the bank to control both overhead lighting fixtures and air conditioning units through an intuitive digital interface. In addition to providing accurate ON/OFF scheduling options, the unit’s backup battery ensured that schedules would always remain intact during unexpected power outages. Regardless of whether a storm hit or the power grid failed, bank branches and ATMs stayed on schedule to serve customers.

Large banking kiosks incorporated three units at each location, while smaller ATM setups required only one device.

After observing Siam Commercial Bank’s success with Grässlin controls, several other institutions, including Krungtai Bank, Kasikorn Bank, TMB Bank and Krungsri Bank adopted similar timer control setups. This group of banks continues to expand its use of Grässlin solutions to this day.

An Ideal Fit for ATM and Banking Applications

Siam Commerical Bank demonstrated from the start that the talento 371 easy plus was a natural fit for banking applications. They made it clear that progressive institutions can benefit from installing digital timer controls.

Timer and energy controls allow financial institutions to better align lighting and energy use schedules to their business. Holiday banking schedules, shortened hours and a mix of location types make a one-size-fits-all approach to scheduling impractical and inefficient. Further, since ATMs are located for convenience – often inside shopping malls, adjacent to other businesses or embedded as part of a larger bank building – managers need to have the ability to tailor controls to match each unique location. For example, there’s no point in keeping an overhead light or air conditioning running 24 hours if an ATM is placed in a mall that closes at 9 p.m.

Because of the high volume of ATM and kiosk locations, banks also have an incentive to install turnkey solutions that require minimal maintenance and oversight. Every extra service call or maintenance hour spent adjusting manual time switch has a cost.

Looking Ahead to New Possibilities

While the talento 371 easy plus has been an asset to banks across Thailand for years, new solutions, such as the talento smart™ digital time switch, have made it even easier to create accurate lighting programs and protect schedules against power failures. Financial institutions throughout Asia, including those in Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia, have an opportunity to optimize their daily operations by installing new digital controls.

With 365-day scheduling, up to 500 events and automatic Astronomic dusk-to-dawn functionality, talento smart is a tremendous fit for bank, exchange kiosk and ATM applications. It helps branches set dynamic ON/OFF schedules throughout the entire calendar while boasting an extremely strong backup battery life of eight years.

Better still, talento smart is designed with both installers and end users at its core. Built-in Bluetooth® connectivity and the talento smart app make it easy for managers to program the timer, adjust schedules and copy custom programs from any mobile device. This helps streamline installations and provides a new level of control to users.